Separable and readily portable refrigeration display cabinet



Dec. 8, 1959 T. 1.. HAUSHALTER ET AL 2,915,384

SEPARABLE AND READILY PORTABLE REFRIGERATION DISPLAY CABINET Filed April 1, 1957 4 INVENTORS THOMAS 4 flAUS/lfll 75/? BY ifllFL L. BERGERO/V SEPARABLE AND READILY PORTABLE REFRIGERATION DISPLAY CABINET Application April 1, 1957, Serial No. 649,847 7 Claims. (Cl. 62-256) This invention relates to a refrigerator and more particularly a top-access refrigeration display cabinet or case suitable for refrigerating food products in grocery stores and the like.

The top-access refrigeration cabinets commonly used in the grocery and allied fields are large and heavy pieces of equipment which cannot be readily moved without a crew of workmen. Inmany stores, it is desirable to have for temporary use a display cabinet which is readily portable and may be moved from store to store by one person without requiring a moving crew or a truck to move it in. A cabinet of this type can facilitate the demonstration and distribution of dairy products and other foods requiring refrigeration, and makes it possible for a demonstrator to serve samples from a case which he can carry with him in his own car from store to store.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved refrigeration display case which is readily portable.

Another object is to provide a refrigeration case of this type in which two sections are provided which may be stacked in vertical juxtaposition.

Another object is to provide in a sectional cabinet a complete air cooling and circulating apparatus in one section and a storage cabinet in another section and to provide matching duct work for proper distribution of cooled air to the storage space.

Another object is to provide an improved two-unit refrigerated case in which temperatures low enough to hold food safely in an open type cabinet may be maintained with apparatus sufficiently small and light as to be readily carried by one person.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein a preferred form of the present invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigeration display case incorporating a preferred form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is across sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the two sections slightly separated.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

In the cabinet shown in the drawing, there is provided a lower section or base and an upper section or case 12. These are separated by a generally horizontal joint and may be held together by gravity and by an upstanding angular flange 14 around the top surface of the base 10. The base 10 is provided with legs 16 and contains a complete forced air cooling system of any convenient construction.

In the form shown diagrammatically in the drawing, the base has a platform 18 upon which are mounted a motorcompressor unit 20, a fan cooled condensing unit 22 and the usual appurtenances thereto. Centrally of the platform 18 there is provided an enclosure 19 formed by insulated vertical walls 24 which extend across the base 10 United States Patent from side to side. This enclosure 19 forms an air cooling duct within which is mounted an evaporator 26 and a circulating fan 28. The evaporator 26 is spaced above the platform 18 and mounted within a rectangular vertical duct 29 formed by the walls 30, which are spaced from the walls 24. Suitable side walls 32, Fig. 3, of insulating material serve to complete the enclosure 19 on the exposed sides of the base 10.

The top of the duct 19 formed by the four walls 30 forms a rectangular opening 33 at the top surface of the base 10 through which cooled air is delivered upwardly by the fan 28. Other elongated openings 35 are formed between the walls 24 and 30 as viewed in Fig. 2, and serve to receive air returning to the base 10 for cooling. Except for the walls 32, the exterior vertical walls of the base 10 may be enclosed with decorative grille work indicated at 34.

The upper or case section 12 is provided with openings on its bottom surface which register with the openings 33 and 35 at the top of the base 10. Suitable rubber gaskets 36 are provided on one of the surfaces to seal the openings from one another. The case 12 is provided with an insulated bottom 38 and insulated vertical side and end walls 40 and 42. These may be of opaque insulating material or may be provided with multi-walled glass panels, as shown at 44, in any convenient location.

Formed centrally on the bottom of the case 12 is a plenum chamber 46 which has a nearly square lower opening to match opening 33 and the duct formed by walls 30. Plenum chamber 46 has a narrow rectangular upperopening to match the cross section of a combined central partition and duct 48 formed byvertical walls 50. The top of the duct 48 is shielded by a stationary cover 52 which is spaced therefrom to provide air vents 54 which are directed horizontally and a little downwardly toward the opposite end Walls 42.

Formed in the bottom of the case 12 is a pair of return air ducts 56 whose inlet openings are at opposite ends of the case. Ducts 56 terminate in openings in the bottom of the case 12 which register with the openings 35 in the base. In order to assure free circulation of air when the case is filled with articles, suitable grille work 58 is positioned along each end wall 42 and spaced therefrom so as to guard the entrance to the ducts 56.

In operation, it will be seen that the case, when assembled as shown in Fig. 1, registers the ducts in the case section 12 with those in the base section 10. Air is cooled by the evaporator 26 and is circulated by the fan 28 to flow upwardly through duct 48 and out the vents 54. This cold air passes over the food and due to the withdrawal of spent air at the entrance to ducts 56, is forced to descend through the articles being stored in the case, counter to the natural convection tendency. The spent air returns through ducts 56 and into the return duct in the base where it again flows through the evaporator and is cooled and recirculated.

It will be seen that the case is easily portable by carrying each section separately and no tools or extra helpers are required for readily transporting it about as desired.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be um derstood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A portable refrigerated display case comprising two stacked sections removably joined together one above the other, the upper section comprising a top-access food storage compartment, a cold air inlet duct including insulating walls extending between an opening in the bottom wall of the upper section and a distributing vent near the top inside of the upper compartment, a spent air return duct extending to a second opening in the bottom wall Patented Dec. 8, 1959 connecting between a'pair-of openings in the top of the lower 'sectionregistering with the openings in the upper section andincluding the heat exchanger, therwallsof ducts registering in a load carrying relation, and a motor driven air circulating device in the duct. 7

= 2. A portable refrigerated display case comprising two stacked sections-removably joined together oneabove the storage compartmenha cold air inlet duct includinginsulating walls forming a central vertical partition and extending between an opening in the bottom wall of the upper section and a pair of oppositely facing vents nearthe top inside ofthe upper compartment, a spent air retprnduct extendingtoa'second-openingin the bottom wall from-a return ventspaced from the distributing vent,

the lower: sectiorr comprising an electric refrigeration system having an air-cooling heat exchanger, a circulation duct connecting between a pair of openings in the top of the lower section registering withthe openings in the 10 other, the upper section'cornprising a top-access food upper section and including the heat exchanger, the walls of'the ducts registering in a load carryingrelation, and

a motor driven air circulating device in the duct.

3. A refrigerated display case comprising a'base, a I

cooling evaporator positioned centrally on the base, a central. duct having insulated vertical walls' surrounding the evaporator, a compressor and a condenser mounted on the base outside of, and on opposite sides of the duct, means forming a refrigerated cabinet above the base having an insulated horizontal wall above the compressor and the condenser, registering air delivery' and return ducts formed in the cabinet and base and including said central duct and a forced air blower in the central duct, the delivery duct'extending centrally and vertically to the top portion of the cabinet and having oppositely facing delivery vents for directing cooled air horizontally across the top of the cabinet space, the return duct having'openings at the-lower part of the cabinet adjacent its ends for receiving spent air, said ducts having walls terminating at the registering ends thereof respectively in load bearing relation. a h

4. Arefrigerated display case comprising, a base section having a horizontally disposed platform, spaced, vertical, load-bearing, insulating walls intermediate the ends of said platform forming a central enclosure on said platform, a frame overlying the edges of said platform and disposed horizontally'on the top of said walls, reticulate sheets completing the enclosure'of said base section between said platform and said frame, a refrigeration unit mounted on said 'platformcomprising a compressor and in said well for conducting air back into said-wallsv ofsaid base, the portion of said base outside said walls be ing cut-otf'and insulated from said well.

5. A device as defined in cl'aim4 in which the first means comprises, innerwalls within said walls of said base forming a vertical'passage open at the top and bottom, and a fan means within said passage for moving air through said passage upwardly from the space within said walls.

6. A device as definedinclaim 4 in which the last means comprises, a reticulate. wall; on one or moresides, of said storage section interiorly thereof, and-passages. adjacent the bottom ofsaidstorage section connecting to said reticulate walls passing through the aperture in said storage section into the area. enclosed by the wallsof. said, base section.

7. A device as defined in claim 4 in which the first means comprises,.inner walls. within-said walls of said base forming a vertical passage openat the top and hot:

tom, and a fan means within said passage for moving air through said passage upwardly from the space within said walls, a pair of. spaced panels in said storage section, creating a central passage abovetthe aperture in said sec,- tion opening at the top to said. wall, and said second means comprises, a reticulate wall on one ormore sides of said storage section interiorly thereof, and passages adjacent the bottom of said storage section connecting to.

'saidreticulate walls passing through the aperture in said storage section into the area. enclosed by the walls of said base section. a a

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,907,680 Strass; Mays, 1933 

